Frontier, the carbon removal coalition backed by Google, Stripe, and Shopify, is making a major investment in ocean-based carbon removal. The group announced a $31.3 million purchase of 115,211 metric tons of credits from Canadian startup Planetary, which specializes in ocean alkalinity enhancement.
Unlike many of Frontier’s previous deals focused on direct air capture or bioenergy, this is its first move into ocean chemistry. The purchase prices carbon at about $270 per metric ton, though Planetary says its long-term goal is to push costs below $100/ton.
Here’s how it works:
- The oceans already absorb massive amounts of CO₂, slowing climate change but causing dangerous acidification.
- Planetary adds magnesium hydroxide, the same compound in antacids, into water streams at wastewater plants and power stations.
- This boosts alkalinity before the water flows into the ocean, helping counteract acidification while locking away carbon.
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The startup currently operates projects in Nova Scotia and Virginia. At full scale, ocean alkalinity enhancement could remove over 1 billion metric tons of CO₂ annually, while also protecting marine ecosystems like coral and shellfish that depend on alkaline waters.
